Murray immortalised as footnote in world's most boring rivalry

ANDY Murray will be remembered as the guy Rafael Nadal usually beat before he beat Roger Federer in the French Open final, it was confirmed last night.

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The plucky Scot has finally secured his place in the modern game as one of the one’s that someone might remember in some unimaginably futuristic edition of A Question of Sport.

As the International Tennis Federation officially lost count of the number of times Nadal has lifted the trophy at Roland Garros after beating his Swiss rival, attention focused on those other players who have played a key role in creating one of the most grindingly tedious sagas in the history of running around after a ball.

Julian Cook, professor of tennis at Reading University, said: “In 50 years time when someone is asked who Rafa Nadal beat in the 2011 French Open semi-final they will now be able to guess that it was Andy Murray with a high degree of confidence.

“Only Novak Djokovic now stands between Murray and something that is almost immortality and therefore, by definition, absolutely nothing like it.”

Murray’s sponsors are also keen to commemorate his achievement with the Royal Bank of Scotland unveiling the slogan ‘partners in world class disappointment’.

Meanwhile organic cereal maker United Global Industries is to change the packaging of their popular Choccy Blobs to read, ‘All the vitamins you need for a semi-final thrashing’.

Professor Cook added: “Finals are only possible because of semi-finals. Indeed you could say that the two semi-finals are really the parents of the final which of course makes Andy Murray the father of something that is quite incredibly dull.